Considering the fact that just about everyone on the planet listens to music every day, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that a lot of people are interested in music tattoos. Unlike most other types of tattoos, music tattoos have different meanings depending on who the owner of the tat is and what music means to them. There are also thousands of ways that you can get a music tattoo made, including your favorite artist, musical notes, or even musical instruments.

Music is much more than a tune or melody; it is an innate facet in every human culture on Earth. The beat of a beloved song is, at its most basic state, a representation of the heart beat that sustains each living person on the planet. In this way, music is a metaphor for life and is a popular theme for tattoos for those who have a devotion to music and vitality. There are several ways to symbolize music, including instruments and musical notation. These images most often portray the devotion of a musician to his or her music or a dedication to the production and creation of music in some other way.

On this page we will take a look at some of the most commonly used music tattoos as well as the meanings attached to those pieces. We’ll also cover some design options that you will have if you do decide to get a music tattoo.

Popular Music Tattoo Meanings

Musical notation is one of the most popular symbolic expressions of the music lover. This includes anything that can be seen on a piece of sheet music including music notes (eighth notes, quarter notes, half or whole notes), bass or treble clefs, any form of the bars or measures usually including notes, or even a time signature. The meaning behind these tattoos totally depends on the owner since it usually represents a key moment when music hit them in a special way. Of course, plenty of people choose a musical note as their music tattoo because it can fit just about anywhere on the body and it also can represent everything that they love about music.